THere came lately to my view , a Libel which did pennance in a sheet , ( as I am informed its Author did once , doubtless for some of his good qualities upon the pillory ) intituled , The Case of the Jews stated , or their Synagogues opened . A man would admire to finde so much venome in the body of so little a Spider ; but what can be more poisonous than the blood of a red haired man ? This Scriblers pen was once filled with malice and slander as black as his ink ; yet God sends curse Cows short Horns , and 't is in vain for such Wolves to bark against the Moon . As this Fellows heart is filled with envy and malice ; so his noddle is as well gifted with a goodly talent of beastly ignorance , which he betrayes at the first dash , when he would needs have the Archi-Synagogues to be Levites and Prophets ; whereas the Levites are one certain Tribe , and the Archi-Synagogue neither were alwayes chosen out of that Tribe , nor constantly Prophets . In the next place he picks out a ridiculous fable out of Matthew Paris , which relates the crucifixion of some children by the Jews : 't is a likely matter , that the Jews should first circumcise a Child to make him a Jew , and then murder him ; or , that in such their enterprizes , they should cause one to represent Pilate , when none of them that I ever spake with , believe there was any such person ; besides this Hebraeo-Mastix should ( if he would have had his story credited ) have bestowed some Hebrew name on his child , rather than Jurnin . We do not deny , but some such things were father'd upon the Jews , as also poisoning of Wells about the time they were expelled , but who I beseech you were the actors of these crimes ? none but the Monks and Friers , men , who besides their practice of Necromancy and other unlawful Arts , did frequently murder children in their Monasteries , to keep their unclean conversation from the knowledge of the world , they moved by envy at the prosperity of the Jews , crucified Children , and poisoned Wells that laying the blame upon the Jews , they ●●ght provoke the hatred of the common people toward● them , and also to have matter where-with●●●●r which to compl●in of them to the King that they might pr●●●●e from him their B●nishment , for which they h d l●●g time before very earnestly , though in vain , solicited ●im , as Mr. Daniel sheweth , whose excellent pen hath set forth very much of the injurious dealing and cruelties used towards the Jews ; from the guilt of which , I bes●●ch the Lord to absolve this Generation , & give us good hearts towards his poor afflicted people , who are therefore dispersed amongst us , that we may have occasion for the exercise of mercy and hospitality ; and because Almighty God will try whether we will like savage Canibals devour strangers , or with good Abraham and Lot , receive them kindly into our houses . This fellow says moreover ( for though Iupiters brain could produce but one Minerva his whimsical noddle can hatch a thousand Chymaeraes of folly ) that the Jews were enjoyed by a Statute to wear a piece of woollen Cloath upon their brests ▪ that they might be thereby distinguish'd , but he tells us not in what time this Statute was enacted ; so that we must let it remain Apocripha till we have leasure to search , and then I doubt it will be canoniz'd , nemine contra dicente , amongst the rest of his lyes . But that which I most blame in this Companion , is , that he goes about by a secret way to instruct ( sic sus Minervam docet ) the supreme Authority what is to be done ; for his presumption intends this Patch as a president for them , and flatters himself that it may prove a Remora to their favourable proceedings in the Jewish affairs . But admit the Jews were commanded to wear such a badge of distinction formerly in England , as now they are at Rome , caused to wear Hats of a different colour from others : must the same measure be used towards these Jews in these times , and under this most excellent Government ? must we imitate Papists in using strangers to whom we give harbor despitefully ? doth this man finde it in the Gospel , that we must do good to those who persecute us , and will he persecute those who do him no hurt ? is this to assert the Kingdom of Christ ? truely it is rather the mystery of iniquity , and the voice of an Antichrist : there is no reason for this pretence , against it there is ; for should the Jews have Re-admittance here , it would behove many of them , and some very eminent persons , who have been forc'd to dissemble their Religion among the Papists , to keep themselves still in some sort secret ( which they cannot do if they may be known by their Garments , lest the Jesuitical spies , which are here , should send intelligence of them beyond Sea , and upon their account cause their Friends in Spain and Portugal , and in some parts of Italy , where the Inquisition is , as in Millain , to be called in question .

In the next place , it would grieve one to see how the pitiful thing doth stretch his slender wits upon the tentor-books to muster up the Jews Ceremonies , Prayers , and Benedictions used in their Synagogues , which he hath borrowed ou● of Purchases Pilgrimage , or Rosse his View of Religions , ( who took them upon trust themselves ) but if he had met with Leo Modena's Book of the Manners and Customes of the Jews ▪ translated by Mr. Edmund Chilmead , he might have been better informed , however we must take it at his hand , as men buy wares at the third and fourth Mart , with all the sophistications ; so that it may he said of him in respect of his Pamphlet , as one said of Homer in regard of his Iliades .

And thus he lyes , thus mingle false with true . 'T is true that many of those Blessings and Ceremonies are indeed used by the Jews , for which they are not to be blamed by him or any other : but when he would perswade people by the opening and shutting of Heavens Gates , that the Jews believe God hath need of rest or sleep , or shunneth importunities , risum teneatis amici ? And since I read the story of his Cock , I profess I never saw a Cock , but I thought of him for a Coxcomb when he comes to the privy he paddles to the very throat in stinking lyes , and there we will leave him to play the Gold-finder , for 't is a place much fitter for him , than the Pulpit : onely we must take some notice of his malicious assertion , That the Jews constantly curse the Christians in their Assemblies , cujus contrarium verum est : for in their dayly prayers they beseech God for the peace of those Nations among whom they live , and for the honour , safty , and increase of the power of the Prince under whose protection they are ; as may more largly appear in a Declaration set forth lately by that learned Jewish Doctor Menasseh ben Israel , which might have stopt this Fellows mouth , and prevented his ugly , mishap'd , abortive , unlick'd Cub from creeping into the view of the world , if his bruitish Sire had not been wholly made up of folly and impudence .

Whereas he mentions lascivious Motto's ( as he calls them ) placed in the houses of the Jews , it is utterly false ; or should any lewd persons of them ( and it seem , his acquaintance was only of that sort , if he knew any Jews at all ) set up any such Ribauldry in their rooms , the graver sort , who do frequently visit the houses of the rest , would tear it down ; and for my own particular , I have been in the houses of many Jews , but never saw any such thing : the only Ornaments they use for their walls are Pictures representing Bible-Histories . Suppose he had seen some such Motto's in the houses of some idely disposed person amongst the Jews , is it not a madness in him to chargethe whole nation with it ? some of all nations and religions are bad , must therefore all the men in the world be so ? if men did not consider the time when his paper came out , they would think Mid-summer Moon did operate in this Fellow's Pate . In the rear of all he brings up that of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. cap. ult. v. 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ , let him be Anathema , Marinatha . But he should have remembred , that the Apostle speaketh here neither of , nor to the Jews , but concerning such as Alexander , and Hymeneus , Simon Magus , and his Followers , who were apostatized Christians ; for Paul doth elsewhere expound himself , and affirm , That the Church hath no power to punish by Excommunication or Anathematization , such as alwayes were out of the pale , but such only as having been once within the pale , have departed out of it . To this all the Fathers and Doctors of the primitive Church assent ; for none can have due voc●tion to punish , but those to whom the offender oweth subjection . In this respect the renowned Republik of Venice , together with all the most learned Civilians of Christendome , have judged it unfit that the secular Magistrate should take any notice of any ecclesiastical censures denounced against such as never were subject to the Church , as may be seen more fully in the History of the Inquisition , compiled by that able States-man and judicious Lawyer , Paul Serveta , an Italian Frier .

Thus ( gentle Reader ) have I vindicated the honorable Nation of the Jews from the fowl aspersions of a black-mouth'd slanderer ; which , if I have done with some sharpness , it is but what his folly hath merited . In the mean time , I hope no ingenious Person will think a rod ill bestowed upon a Fools back : but if ever he display his folly again upon the same subject , ( as I look he will , for a fool will be never the wiser , though brayed in a morter ) instead of a Rod , I will send him

I could have inlarged , in sh●wing the many commodities the Jews would bring to this Commonwealth , their adherency formerly to the Parliament of England , and their great affection to the present Government , and particularly to his Highness the Lord Protector , ( whose Patronage they do more desire than that of any other Prince in Christendome ) but that it hath been done already sufficiently by an abler Pen , I mean that of Menass●h ben Israel , the Hebrew Doctor . Therefore I shall conclude , beseeching Almighty God to give to all those that are right in heart , the fruition of those good things promised under the reign of the Prince of peace , whose coming is dayly expected and hope to be at hand by many good Christians .